^Notes:@ The Texans held FB Moran Norris (shoulder), K Kris Brown (concussion) and RT Todd Wade (knee) out of practice Wednesday, but all were expected to be ready for Sunday's game at Detroit. ... SS Glenn Earl, who has spent the last season working back from a knee injury last year at Notre Dame, got in several first-team practice plays Wednesday.

I suspect that is what the team is looking at. It was pretty painfull watching Brown get burned and they KNOW other teams will see the same thing. If Earl can get the job done, they will use him. Having three rookies on "D" though is more than a bit worrisome.

ya but we are not trying to get to the playoffs this year. 3 rookies on D, after a whole year of starting and playing together next year they will be the leaders on the team. Why start a 31 year old who probably wont be around next year.

Basically, its' the teams way of staying prepared in case a player goes down. If Earl had not injured his knee, he would have been a pretty high draft selection for safety, thus the Texans taking a chance on an injured player. Don't look to deep into the practice reps, except for preparation for possible injuries, backup time, and grooming to take someones place in the future!